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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Legal Assistant/Paralegal (Income $30-$48k) in California

8 Ranked Colleges
615 Degrees Awarded
$11,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 9,938 people earned their degree in legal assistant/paralegal, making the major the 123rd most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,330 legal assistant/paralegal graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 615 legal assistant/paralegal graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in legal assistant/paralegal. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent legal assistant/paralegal programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the legal assistant/paralegal program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

The paralegal school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

#1

American River College

Sacramento, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American River College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. American River College is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 36 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

American River did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend American River College is $4,591 for california associate degree paralegal students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at American River College

#2

Cerritos College

Norwalk, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cerritos College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Norwalk, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s paralegal degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Cerritos College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $3,988 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cerritos College.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at Cerritos College

#3

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, West Los Angeles College landed the #3 spot on the list. West LA College is a public institution located in Culver City, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

West LA College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend West LA College is $7,385 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full West Los Angeles College Legal Assistant/Paralegal Report

#4

Coastline Community College

Fountain Valley, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Coastline Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Coastline Community College is located in Fountain Valley, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 associates’s paralegal degrees to qualified students.

Coastline Community College also took the #3 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Coastline Community College is $8,910 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Coastline Community College Legal Assistant/Paralegal Report

#5

MTI College

Sacramento, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, MTI College landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 17 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

MTI College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend MTI College is $17,695 for california associate degree paralegal students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Legal Assistant/Paralegal at MTI College

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Bakersfield, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified associates’s paralegal students in 2019-2020.

Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield is $18,449 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield

#7

South Coast College

Orange, California
#7 in overall quality

South Coast College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 10 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

South Coast College also made our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read more about Legal Assistant/Paralegal at South Coast College

#8

Fremont College

Cerritos, California
#8 in overall quality

Fremont College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Cerritos, California, and it awarded 20 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

Fremont College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Fremont College is $22,181 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Assistant/Paralegal at Fremont College

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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